Apparatus for the low temperature carbonization of oil-bearing materials



Jan. 26, 1932.

F. LAMPE 1,842,906 APPARATUS FOR THE LOW TEMPERATURE CARBONIZATION OF OIL BEARING MATERIALS I Filed Oct. 29, 1928 2, Sheets-Sheet I l IINVENTOR rclmandlamfae WWW - ATTORNEYS F. LAMPE 1,842,906

CARBONIZATION Jan. 26, 1932.

APPARATUS FOR THE LOW TEMPERATURE OF OIL BEARING MATERIALS Filed Oct. 29, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Fgdinanczlamfie WM -4 importance.

are often attended by D backs, which are particularly manifest in the Patented Jan. 26, 1932 UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE FERDINAND LAMPE,,OF LUDWIGSHAFEN-ON-THE-RHINE, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO I.

G. FARBENINDUSTRIE AKTIENGESELLSGHAFT, OF FRANKFORT-ON-THE-MAIN, GER- MANY, A. CORPORATION APPARATUS FOR THE LOW TEMFERATURE GABBONIZATION 0F OIL-BEARING MATERIALS Application filed October 29, 1928, Sean No temperature carbonization of bituminous oroil-bearing materials is of great technical In the processes usually employed for this purpose, the material under treatment is brought to the requisite carbonization temperature by direct or indirect heating, with or without the employment of scavenging gases. These processes, however, considerable drawfrequently used rotary tube furnaces. These furnaces consist either of a long heated cylinder, or of a sheaf of tubes which are mounted at both ends, and in which the heating gases or vapors transmit the necessary heat to the charge either directly or indirectly. According to this method of working considerable inconveniences arise mainly from the fact that owing to the high temperature the structural materials employed are subjected to extremely troublesome deformation, especially in rotary tube furnaces with widely spaced supports. The result is that there is injurious local overheating, which sets up irregular carbonization of the material and cracks the distilled vapors into less valuable gaseous hydrocarbons. Moreover, the hitherto employed carbonizing apparatus only affords a comparatively low utilization of the tangible heat of the heating gases and a small output.

I have now found that these drawbacks and inconveniences are obviated by passing the bituminous or oil-bearing materials under treatment through a sheaf of tubes which is disposed in the interior of a rotary cylinder covered with non-conductive material in such a manner as to prevent the transmission of heat from the interior to the exterior and bathed by hot gases or vapors, which are passed in the same direction as the charge,

or in counterflow. The exhaust heating gases or vapors, are wholly or partially returned to the cylinder, in order to heat the same, and,

. 315,910, and in Germany December 13, 1927.

and may be about 9 to 10 degrees or at the most 11 degrees for passing fine-grained brown-coal without making use of spirals.

In order to prevent sagging of the tubes they may be supported by walls, for instance in the formof plates of sheet metal, which are preferably arranged in staggered relation so that the hot gases pass in a zig-zag course through the rotary cylinder thus eflicaciously bathing the tubes.

The improved process will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate in longitudinal vertical section in Figure land in cross-section in Figure 2 taken onthe line A'-A of Figure 1, apparatus according to this invention for carrying out the process. A further modification of the apparatus is illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, Figure 4 being in part a cross-section at right angles taken on the line BB of Figure 3. The said apparatus consists of a slightly inclined, rotary cylinder a, mounted at two points in the end walls. The said cylinder is built up of or lined with masonry, or is provided with any other internal non-conductive material I), by which means any injurious deformation through heat is prevented and the apparatus, in contrast to types already known, acquires the requisite mechanical strength. The said cylinder is supported by the rollers 00 and w. and is rotated with the aid of the motor m. Inside the said cylinder is disposed a sheaf oftubes, consisting of a number of carbonization tubes 0 which areaccessible and may at this end by a stufiing box f supplied for each tube, or the stufling boxes may be replaced by a common packing plate. Provision may also be made for the expansion of the tubes, by replacing the stuiiing boxes by an immovable, gas-tight "onnection and arranging for one of the common end walls to be movable though gas-tight, within. the cylinder. The interior of the cylinder is provided with supporting walls g, preferably connected with the drum, the latter remaining permanently stable by reason of its being lined with non-conductive material. These Walls prevent the troublesome sagging of the individual tubes, and also serve for mounting a guide pipe k for facilitating the passage of the heating gases or vapors which pipe is arranged at about the centre of the drum, is free to expand under the influence of heat and is provided with blank flanges.

The charge is introduced into the apparatus at o, and is distributed into the carbon1 zation tubes by a suitable feeding device z'. The charge travels through these tubes 1n consequence of the rotation and slightly 1nclined position of the cylinder and 1s removed at p in a spent condition, from the receiver '72. Both the receiver and the collector Z for the distillation gases are efiectually sealed from the outside. The heating gases or vapors enter the apparatus at n and pass through openings j in the feed pipe t into the drum, through which they flow in the direction indicated by the arrows, bathing the carbonization tubes in their passage. The heating gases may, however, be passed in the opposite direction, so as to travel in counterflow in relation to the char e. The arrangement herein described ena les the distillation vapors to be conducted in such manner that they are not exposed at any point to 'a temperature which is higher than that at which they were formed, so that cracking is prevented. They can be drawn ofi at either end of the cylinder, according to requirements, for example at r. The supporting walls 9' and guide pipe h efiect favorable transmission of heat to the walls of the carbonization tubes by guiding the heating gases or vapors in a suitable manner. The heating gases and vapors issue through openings u into the discharge pipe 2: and pass out of the apparatus at m, and they may be returned to the cylinder, either wholly or in part, and without any special reheating, as for example by means of a blower s.

If the carbonization process is exothermic,

' it may be unnecessary to supply heat to the distillation tubes from the outside by means of heating gases or vapors, and in this case the circulation gases or vapors are merely used to efi'ect the uniform distribution of the heat to the materials of the charge.

The possibility of accommodating a large number of carbonization tubes enables an extensive heating surface to be obtained, which allows of a high throughput.

The apparatus may, however, be constructed and operated without the central guide pipe h, as shown in Figures 3 and 4 of which Figure 3 represents in longitudinal. vertical section an apparatus without such central guide pipe, Figure 4 being a cross-section of the apparatus on the line BB of Figure 3.

In this apparatus the heating gases and also the heating gases returned into the apparatus, if such be employed, are introduced and removed into and from the cylinder through openings j and u, provided in the outer casing near the ends of the cylinder. The said openings are covered by ringlike channels 5 and 'u, surrounding the casing in a gas-tight manner. Since the ends w of the cylinder in which the openings are provided are exposed to high temperatures, they are preferably built ofmaterial resisting heat. This apparatus has the advantage over that shown in Figures 1 and 2 that in the space occupied by the guide pipe it further distillation tubes can be arranged so that the free space of the cylinder is better utilized.

What I claim is 1- Apparatus for the low-temperature carbonization of oil-bearing materials comprising a rotary cylinder having end walls and covered inside with a non-conductive material, a sheaf of tubes disposed therein mounted in a gas-tight manner fixedly in one end wall of the cylinder and axially movably in the other end wall, two pipes centrally disposed in the end walls and fixedly mounted thereto for passing heating gases into and removing them from the said cylinder and a guide pipe around which said heating gases flow, when the apparatus is in action, and which is concentric with and of about the same cross-sectional area as the said pipes and of a smaller length than the distance between the ends of the said pipes to allow it to expand, provided with blank flanges at its ends and supported by the said two pipes.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set 

